1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chalk holder having a light attached thereto such that the device is used for inspecting the interior drywall work within a building and has the ability to mark defects that require subsequent attention.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Hanging gypsum board and placing drywall board onto the interior walls of a building is a mundane process that is taken for granted by many building owners. However, as the dry walling process results in a viewable surface within the building, having only an additional layer or layers of paint thereon, it is critical that the process be performed correctly in order to have a satisfactorily finished interior. Defects within the drywall process, such as an elevated screw, an improperly taped joint, or an improper application of the finishing coat, will not be hidden by the paint coat and will be visible to the occupants of the building, an unsatisfactory result. For this reason, quality builders require that the drywall process be performed correctly and institute procedures to achieve a satisfactory result. After the board hangers and mudders perform their tasks, such builders require that every aspect of the work be inspected and any defects noted and corrected prior to the application of paint. As mistakes will happen even when the best crews are employed, only by thorough inspection and remediation can a quality end product be assured.
Typically, an inspector proceeds through the building, room by room, and shines a flashlight (in new construction, the building's electrical system is not yet hot) on the walls and any defects noted are outlined with chalk so that a remediation crew can follow behind the inspector and remedy the problem. This tried and true method of inspection works well but is not particularly efficient. Many inspectors carry the flashlight and a ladder that gives the inspector reach to all points of a wall and ceiling that have been dry walled in order to be able to mark areas above the inspector's normal reach. Whenever the inspector shines upon an area of the wall or ceiling that requires remediation, which area is beyond reach, the ladder is moved into place and ascended by the inspector so as to access the area that needs to be chalk marked. Once the defect area is marked, the inspector comes off the ladder and continues on with the inspection process, ladder once again in tow.
Requiring the inspector to tote the ladder is time-consuming and somewhat labor intensive, rendering the process relatively slow and inefficient. To address this concern, many inspectors place the chalk into a receiver located at the end of an extension pole. The receiver uses a locking compression collar (using an appropriately designed chuck) or similar device to lock the chalk into position on the end of the extension pole. When the inspector finds an area to be marked, which area is beyond the inspector's normal reach, the extension pole gives the inspector the additional reach needed to place the chalk mark at the desired area. While this method eliminates the need for hauling a ladder about the building during drywall inspection, the method is not without drawbacks. Due to the length of the extension pole, proper maneuvering of the pole is difficult with one hand while the inspector shines the flashlight onto the spot to be marked with the other hand. The inspector's pole holding hand and forearm quickly fatigue. To address the fatigue, the inspector uses both hands to maneuver the extension pole. While this works satisfactorily when there is sufficient ambient light available, in dark rooms, such as in internal rooms or when the inspections are being performed during non-daylight hours, the loss of the direct shine of the flashlight onto the spot to be marked, due to the need to stow the light in order to free both hands for the holding of the extension pole, proper placement of the mark may prove difficult. Some inspectors address this by placing the flashlight underneath an arm and maneuvering the flashlight along with the extension pole to the target spot. This process, clumsy at best, produces mixed results. Even when sufficient ambient light exists, the stowing and unstowing of the flashlight reduces the efficiency of the process.
Some inspectors address the above problem by having a head mounted light so that both hands are free to hold the extension pole. Once a target spot is identified, the inspector keeps eyes and the light from the head gear mounted light on the spot and marks the spot in the usual way. Although this alleviates the need for stowing and unstowing the light as well as the awkward underarm light holding, many find the wearing of the head gear for an extended period of time uncomfortable. Additionally, use of the head to scan the walls and ceiling of the building is more difficult physically and less efficient as the neck muscles lack the fine dexterity that are found in the wrist and hand muscles used for hand-held lights.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a device that allows an inspector to be able to light up all dry walled surfaces of a room and be able to mark any deficiencies in the workmanship, which device overcomes the above stated problems found in the art. The device must not rely on the use of ladders (except in extreme cases) and must not require the user to don light-bearing head gear. Such a device must allow the inspector to have both hands constantly available to maneuver an extension pole that receives the marking chalk used for mark placements. Such a device must be readily usable in darkened rooms that lack sufficient ambient light to see without the aid of a flashlight. The device must allow for a smooth and fluid marking process without the need to stow and unstow the light each time a mark needs to be placed. Such a device must be of relatively simple design and construction and be easy to use and maintain.